Michael Sheen Is A Serial Killer In New TV Show Pilot

Actor Michael Sheen will play a serial killer father in a pilot for a new Fox show “Prodigal Son.”

The show, which will reportedly have a darkly comedic tone, is about a criminal psychologist who has firsthand knowledge of how murderers' minds work because his own father was a serial killer. Sheen will play the dad, a notorious killer dubbed “The Surgeon,” according to Variety. His character, Martin Whitly, was a devoted family man and cardiothoracic surgeon —that is, before he was convicted of killing over 20 people.

Though a vicious killer, he’s at least a helpful one, as he works with the police to help them stop other killers. Surprisingly, that concept isn’t too far-fetched of an idea. In fact, serial killer Ted Bundy did just that. In the late 1980s, the FBI was compiling data on murderers in an attempt to identify patterns of future killers, how they developed their skills, and how they evaded detection. Part of this research included interviewing killers, which included Bundy. He proved to have valuable insight into the mind of a killer and was willing to help. He’d actually keep newspaper clippings around his cell of cases that the FBI were working on and assist them in profiling the killers.

“He talked about how a lot of serial killers would return to the crime scene. He also talked about leaving evidence behind that had nothing to do with the crime scene,” FBI Special Agent Bill Hagmaier said in “Conversations with A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes,” Netflix’s controversial documentary which aired earlier this year. “He confirmed a lot of things that we suspected about serial killers but he also gave us a lot more things to think about.”

Sheen’s character will also reportedly attempt to bond with his son Malcolm Bright, the main character of the pilot who has yet to be cast. It's still unclear whether it will be picked up and turned into a series.